The present invention relates to edible fat mimetic materials, and especially to new compounds having a desireable combination of properties and their use in edible compositions.
Obesity is perceived as a common problem in contemporary society. This condition is due, in many people, to a greater intake of calories than are expended. While genetic and behavioral factors play a major role, it is generally agreed that reasonable modifications of the caloric value of foods can be valuable in reaching a more desirable equilibrium weight for an individual predisposed to obesity.
Many foods which provide gustatory satisfaction contain significant fat levels. This can be a problem for individuals drawn to these foods because fat has about twice the caloric density of protein and carbohydrates. It has, in fact, been estimated that fat contributes about 40% of the total calories in the diet. It has long been desired to reduce the available calories of dietary fat without decreasing the appeal or satiety expected of fatty foods. It has been reported that this would offer a convenient and practical method by which obesity could be controlled, ideally without requiring a dieter to restrict total food intake.
Unfortunately, of the materials heretofore suggested as fat replacements, few have all of the desirable attributes of natural triglyceride fats and oils. One approach to lower the caloric value of edible fat has been to decrease the amount of triglyceride that is absorbed in the human system since the usual edible triglyceride fats are almost completely absorbed (see Lipids, Vol. II [1955], H. J. Deuel, Interscience Publishers, Inc., New York, page 215). The absorbability of triglyceride fat could be decreased by altering either the alcohol or the fatty acid portion of the molecule. There have been some experiments that have demonstrated a decrease in absorbability with certain fatty acids; for example, erucic acid (H. J. Deuel, A. L. S. Cheng, and M. G. Morehouse, Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 35 [1948], page 295, and stearic acid if present as tristearin (F. H. Mattson, Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 69 [1959], page 338). Also, U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,419, to Minich discloses that fatty acid esters which contain a neopentyl nucleus are not digested like normal fats and thus can be used as a fat substitute in food compositions.
Several other patents disclose edible compounds which are not digested or absorbed to the same extent as natural triglycerides. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,548, White discloses certain glycerol esters of certain branched carboxylic acids which are said to have these properties. And, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,186, Mattson and Volpenhein disclose sugar and sugar alcohol fatty acid esters having at least four fatty acid ester groups. All of these compounds are said to possess physical properties similar to ordinary triglyceride fat, but to be absorbed less readily when eaten. It is, unfortunately, this very attribute which causes undesirable and potentially embarrassing side effects, including the frank anal discharge of the materials.
In a greater departure from conventional glyceride ester chemistry, Canadian Pat. No. 1,106,681 to Trost discloses glycerol dialkyl ether compounds which are said to have functional properties similar to those of conventional fats, but which are not absorbed in the digestive tract to any significant degree. Also, Ward, Gros and Feuge have reported in New Fat Products: Glyceride Esters of Adipic Acid; JAOCS, Vol. 36 [1959], page 667, that highly viscous oils formed by reacting two glycerol molecules with a diabasic acid, such as fumaric, succinic and adipic acids, and then reacting one of the hydroxyl groups of each glycerol moiety with a fatty acid, are useful in the food industry, primarily as lubricants and coatings.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,746, Hamm discloses a low-calorie substitute for at least a portion of the edible oil component in oil-based food compositions which low-calorie substitute is comprised in substantial proportion of at least one low-calorie oil component selected from the group consisting of thermally stable polycarboxylic acids having 2 to 4 carboxylic acid groups esterified with saturated or unsaturated alcohols having straight or branched carbon chains of from 8 to 30 carbon atoms. See also D. J. Hamm; Preparation and Evaluation of Trialkoxytricarballylate, Trialkoxycitrate, Trialkoxyglycerylether, Jojoba Oil, and Sucrose Polyester as Low Calories Replacements of Edible Fats and Oils; J. of Food Science, Vol. 49 [1984], pages 419-426.
In another attempt at simulating the natural properties of fat, Fulcher discloses certain diesters in U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,927. These compounds have at least two carboxylate groups joined to a common carbon atom, with each of the carboxylate groups containing the residue of a 12 to 18 carbon alkyl, alkenyl or dienyl alcohol.
One of the main problems in attempting to formulate fat-like compounds that have decreased absorbability and thus low caloric properties is to maintain the desirable and conventional physical properties of edible fat. Thus, to be a practical low calorie fat, a compound must mimic conventional triglyceride fat by affording the same utility in various fat-containing food compositions such as shortening, margarine, cake mixes, and the like, and be useful in frying or baking. Unfortunately, none of the prior attempts has been successful to the degree that commercial products employing them have either been approved for safety or achieved general public acceptance in their featured role.
Among the problems with some non-absorbable fat-like materials is the possibility that they will leach fat-soluble vitamins and minerals from the body and that they function, when used in larger amounts, as purgatives. Many attempts have been made to solve these and related problems; however, a better solution would employ chemistry more compatible with the human digestive process, while providing a significant decrease in caloric density vis-a-vis glyceride fats.